SAHTU COMMUNITIES

Collvile Lake - Deline - Fort Good Hope - Norman Wells & Tulit'a

The Sahtu region encompasses five communities in NWT. The region borders the Yukon Territory on its western side, Inuvik to the north, the North Slave Region on the east and Tlicho to the south.

Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement

﻿On July 1993, the Sahtu Dene and Métis voted to approve the Sahtu Dene and Métis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. After being approved by the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Agreement was signed on September 6, 1993, in Tulita. The Sahtu Dene and Métis Land Claim Settlement Act came into effect on June 23, 1994.

Under the Agreement, the Sahtu Dene and Métis received title to 41,437 square kilometres of land in the Northwest Territories (NWT), an area slightly larger than Vancouver Island. Included in that total, the Sahtu also own 1,813 square kilometres of subsurface, including mines and minerals that may be found to exist within, upon or under such lands.

The Sahtu have the right to harvest all species of wildlife and the exclusive right to harvest fur bearers throughout the Sahtu Settlement Area. The Sahtu have guaranteed participation on institutions of public government responsible for renewable resource management, land use planning, and land and water use within the Settlement Area, as well as environmental impact assessment and review within the Mackenzie Valley.

The Sahtu received $130 million in tax-free capital transfers over a fifteen year period. The Sahtu also receive an annual share of resource royalties collected by the Government of Canada from resource development in the Mackenzie Valley.

The Agreement also provides for the negotiation of self-government agreements that will be brought into effect through federal and/or territorial legislation.

Colville Lake

"K'áhbamį́túé"

meaning "ptarmigan net place"​The community of Colville Lake is the ancestral homeland of the Hareskin Dene who still inhabit the area. Colville Lake is a completely traditional community in every sense.

Site of the well-known mission, Our Lady of the Snows, the tiny village of Colville Lake is well away from the Mackenzie River, and 50 km north of the Arctic Circle. The elders here still pursue a land-based way of life, fishing and working their traplines by dog-team and snowmobile. There's a comfortable lodge with a small museum/art gallery next door. Colville Lake also boasts a B&B and two stores. The lodge attracts fishing enthusiasts to Colville Lake, a 452 square kilometer home to trout, grayling and pike.

Community Contact Info

​Délınę

"Where the Water Flows"​
​Deline (pronounced day-li-neh) is located near the headwaters of the Bear River - Sahtu De- where it rushes out of Great Bear Lake on its journey to the Mackenzie.
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Nearby, there’s a place where the big lake seldom freezes over, even in the coldest winters, called the Deline Fishery. This was long a source of food for the Sahtugotine, the Bear Lake people.
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Delıne stıll has a rıch culture and fluent ın North Slavey Yatı (language).
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You can purchase superb beadwork in Deline, ask at the hotel. The comfortable hotel provides conference facilities for small groups and has a restaurant.
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Dene culture thrives in Délįne today, in North Slavey language and storytelling, arts and crafts, and the traditional emphasis on a land-based way of life. The community is a site for spiritual gatherings and other events. Increasing numbers of visitors are tourists, eager to explore the vibrant culture and the spectacular natural resources.

​Fort Good Hope

"Where the Rapids Are"​Fort Good Hope (or the Charter Community of K'asho Got'ine) is a charter community in the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on a peninsula between Jackfish Creek and the east bank of the Mackenzie River, about 145 km (90 mi) northwest of Norman Wells. The two principal languages are North Slavey and English.

Norman Wells

​Unlike most other communities along the Mackenzie River, which originated as fur trading posts, Norman Wells was the first community in the NWT established solely as a result of non-renewable resource development..

Tulit'a

"Where the two Rivers Meet"​Tulit'a was formerly known as Fort Norman, until 1 January 1996. It is located at the junction of the Great Bear River and the Mackenzie River; the Bear originates at Great Bear Lake adjacent to Deline.
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Tulita is a small Dene community at the confluence of the Great Bear and Mackenzie Rivers. It began as a trading post in 1810. Old Hudson Bay buildings still overlook the river, and some residents still make their living by trapping, fishing and hunting. Be sure to see the historic, squared-log Anglican Church, and admire the view of Bear Rock, where the Dene hero Yamoria stretched the hides of giant beavers, in the time before history.